A Cuddle Party!
by bookisland
Summary: Makishima looks sad and Toudou wants to cheer him up. There is a party in everyone's near future, and Arakita and Shinkai take matters in their own hands about spicying it all up a bit!
1. Chapter 1

Maki-chan was off, somehow. Toudou could tell. It was a gut feeling. By now, he knew the other climber's moods pretty well. Maki-chan wanted to talk, but he just couldn't, as his personality was such.

Toudou voiced his suspicions half to himself, half to Arakita and Manami while everyone was changing after the practice and a quick shower./p

"Maki-chan is sad! I can feel it, I just know he is feeling down about something!"

Arakita scoffed immediately.

"Just go hug 'im to make it all better, why don't ya?"

Manami looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Toudou-san, I think you might have to take the initiative in this case, you know."

Toudou was proudly always taking the initiative anyway. He thought that was obvious by now, to everyone./p

"Manami, of course I will have to do something!"

Tapping his chin deep in thought, Toudou suddenly exclaimed, "I know! How about a party? Sohoku and Hakogaku together! A party is definitely the way to cheer someone up and remind him of all his friends who love him! Hahaha, I am a genius, am I not!"

Arakita had dropped his bag at the words "love him" and had turned to stare at Toudou with a scowl, ready to argue.

"Oi, princess, I am not particularly fond of Sohoku's weird climber! Go and cuddle Christmas Tree senseless if you want, but keep me out of it!"

Toudou pouted, "Of course we all value Maki-chan, Arakita, as my precious rival! You don't need to be all shy about it!"

Arakita sputtered and looked ready to argue, but Toudou smoothly cut in, raising his voice.

"Okaaay, everyone, it's been decided! Party at my place next weekend, pending parents' approval (they will approve, naturally, since their awesome son is asking)! In honor of . !"

Shinkai cheered, Manami clapped his hands, and Fukutomi looked pleased. Izumida looked interested enough, and Arakita... well, Toudou would deal with Arakita later on.

* * *

><p>Telling Maki-chan required some planning and plotting, as Maki-chan was definitely not allowed to turn the party down, no matter what. Eventually, after driving Arakita insane for a couple of days with anxiety and fidgeting and mumbling in his sleep, Toudou got his wish granted. Arakita stole his phone, called Makishima immediately after Sohoku's practice, asked to talk to Kinjou, and just arranged matters with the team captain. Makishima was coming, his own team was dragging him to Hakone if necessary.<p>

Toudou had healthy snacks prepared, and the hot spring bath was going to be made available for the boys, and they could ride together in the vicinities, have a picnic on a hill top, or just stay in and play table tennis in case of bad weather. The rooms were ready, the futons fluffed up, and Toudou had used his super lucky and special brush to write in beautiful characters in his best calligraphy effort "BEST RIVALS PARTY".

Arakita did casually mention to Shinkai he will have to bring the booze, as Princess Toudou had his head in the clouds these days, and would likely veto the idea anyway. Shinkai winked at him, and asked if they could help, and if this wasn't better planned together with Sohoku. They had Fukutomi call Kinjou and after some bargaining with the captains, a certain amount of alcohol was officially approved. Needless to say, Arakita and Shinkai were secretly doubling the amount, and if Shinkai was any judge of character at least two of the sprinters from Sohoku might have a few surprises in their overnight bags as well.

Arakita belatedly remembered that Toudou had a sister who might turn out to be rather attractive, and thought briefly aloud about what-ifs, but Shinkai tsk-ed and correctly pointed out Toudou would freak out and make Arakita's dorm life unbearable if anything untoward were to happen. Raging teenage hormones aside, Arakita was not that desperate, so the fleeting image of a female and older version of Toudou Jinpachi was promptly forgotten.

* * *

><p>Together, the two set about writing down a draft of the rules, in a poor imitation of Toudou's calligraphy script.<p>

"CUDDL PARTI RULZ!

1. Everyone has to hug the host's main guest each time they see him. No fighting back allowed! Taking pictures is encouraged, but send the facilitator a copy /strike/for later blackmailing purposes, and to possibly earn some money off Toudou in his moments of weakness /strike/..

2. Climbers have to do it twice. /strike/ Unless they are asleep. That's you, Manami./strike/

host has to stay with his main guest at all times. /strike/ You can go to the bathroom separately, but only if Toudou insists. If he doesn't, you are out of luck, Makishima!/strike/

4. Everyone plays spin-the-bottle /strike/except the host and Christmas Tree who should be making out by now./strike/ Alcohol is provided, so we can all make lots of embarrassing memories together! The dare requests have to do with hugging/cuddling, you get the idea.

The Facilitator and Assistant are exempt from any of this BS, and DON'T YOU ARGUE WITH /strike/ME/strike/ US, GUYS, /strike/I GOT A BASEBALL BAT SPECIAL FOR THSI OCCASION AND I AM DYING TO USE IT (AGAIN)/strike./

Signed, thug!Yasutomo and smug!Shinkai"


	2. Chapter 2

The weekend was here. Since morning, Toudou had broken some valuable ancient pottery, had fought with his sister twice, and had almost managed to get himself a kitchen ban. His sister's laughter tinkled all around him, as she wondered aloud if his rival was as hot as all that. Toudou threw a flower from a nearby vase at her, then was thinking of adding the water from the vase for good measure when commotion near the entrance indicated some of his guests might have arrived.

Toudou practically ran to the door, but his high hopes were crushed. It wasn't Sohoku. Just Arakita and Shinkai, both in suspiciously high spirits.

"Oi, Toudou! We have a surprise for ya." Arakita couldn't wait to spill the beans.

Shinkai smirked. "You will like it. The possibilities, the, ah, stress-relief and the, ahh, bond-strengthening qualities of our plan are foolproof!"

Shinkai would actually regret these words later on, but for now his confidence level in his mischief capabilities was a 100%.

Toudou smiled happily, as he led his two teammates to a place to sit in the yard. "I am dying to hear all about it!" He promptly took his phone out and typed:

To: Maki-chan star  
>From: Hakone's Most Beautiful<br>I am getting a special surprise from my teammates, Maki-chan! Am I not lucky? Hurry up and get here already, so I can tell you all about it~!

Arakita wiggled an eyebrow at Shinkai at Toudou's act while Shinkai surreptitiously put a finger to his lips and smirked.

"Soo..." Arakita started, wondering how best to sell the idea to Hakogaku's princess.

Shinkai cut in smoothly, "Toudou, we did some serious research here, and we've come with some wonderful ideas about this party's total, incredible success.."

Toudou melted at the sight of the two's obvious enthusiasm. "I knew even Arakita would come along! OK, OK, so what is it? Tell me already!"

Shinkai shamelessly winked at Toudou. "You have to trust us with the minor details on this one, but I will share the big picture with youuu... So, Toudou, do you know what the best way to boost self-esteem, stengthen the immune system, relax muscles, and teach us how everything flows both ways is?"

Arakita wanted to laugh so badly he had to cough instead. Toudou shoved a glass of water in Arakita's hands, and interrupted with his own answer to Shinkai's question "I know, I know! That would be the very privilege to spend time with me at this amazing place, right?"

That reply earned Toudou a thwack from Arakita and no mistake. Toudou hardly paid attention to Arakita's usual antics, though, rubbing his thigh. "Ow. Anyway! What is the actual surprise here?"

Shinkai winked again. "See, Toudou, it's the things you do for others that can make it a privilege to spend time together. The party was an excellent idea, but would it be enough? Doesn't Makishima look a bit awkward at first with social interaction anyway? Wait, wait, don't interrupt me here. The thing is, we need an ice-breaker of sorts! The correct answer to my question, Toudou Jinpachi, is-"

"FUCKING HUGS!" yelled Arakita. A nearby servant jumped up, stared at the boys in wonder, and wisely chose to go help elsewhere.

Toudou was staring open-mouthed at Arakita. Kudos for breaking it to him gently, thought Shinkai.

No, Arakita was not in the mood for long-winded speeches. "Cut out the crap, Shinkai. This is Toudou. Let me deal with him. I know how."

Hands akimbo, Arakita glowered at his roommate. "See, princess, we are going to organize you a nice little hug party here. Lots of games, lots ot touching, the land of your dreams. And you are gonna love it. Now keep that conveniently wide mouth of yours shut and let Shinkai handle this. He's got the rules down and all."

Toudou swallowed, still wrapping his mind around the idea of a hug party. The image of Maki-chan kept swimming to the foreground, and being expected to hug him some seemed like a bright and wonderful occurrence of a genius mind. Definitely not Arakita's idea then, and Shinkai did look trustworthy enough. Toudou eventually broke into a million-dollar smile.

The other boys high-fived each other and then clapped their host on the back. "Trust us, Toudou, you will love this!" Shinkai's warm and broad hand inspired confidence in the hours to come.


	3. Chapter 3

"Here, these are pastries from our bakery!" And a bear pat on the shoulder.

"Some sake and beer as discussed." And a stern look from Sohoku's captain.

"...Toudou." And a shuffling of feet. And a fruits basket. With a hideous ribbon, obviously an added touch.

"These are DVDs of exciting races!" And the innocent eyes of several first years.

Toudou was overflowing with expectations for the hours to come, and everyone else seemed hell-bent on having a wonderful time, too.

* * *

><p>The boys were now all assembled and a light lunch was served. Everyone was chatting excitedly together, making plans for the rest of the day. On Toudou's request, they were to keep the evening free, though, as a night of games and a teeny(?) bit of alcohol was announced.<p>

Toudou was glowing. Makishima did not feel entirely comfortable with the looks of expectation the other boy was giving him. He felt particularly tongue-tied, especially since most of Hakogaku was evaluating Sohoku's third-year climber less and less subtly. In fact, Makishima could swear at least two of them were outright smirking at him.

Kinjou's assessment of the situation made him ask Fukutomi outright, "What kind of mischief is your team planning?"

Fukutomi's assessment of the situation required diplomacy, though. "They are in high spirits, Kinjou. And if I am not mistaken, your sprinters have a few surprises up their sleeves, too."

Tadokoro's and Naruko's overnight bags had indeed emitted suspicious clinking and sloshing sounds. Arakita had promptly suggested all sprinters share a room and make the most of the all-nighter. Toudou had tried to argue against the duration of the supposed drinking party, but Arakita had hissed something in his ear, and Toudou had blushed and dropped the subject.

Just when Toudou was suggesting a climbers' picnic on a nearby hill to an overexcited Onoda and a smiling Manami, Shinkai stood up and cleared his throat.

"Everyone! As a part of the organizational committee I have a small announcement to make!"

Toudou's heart started beating fast. Toudou's eyes went back to Maki-chan's face and stayed glued there, in horrified anticipation of the first reaction to come.

Shinkai was still smirking as he whipped out the rules and tacked them to the wall. As the closest, Naruko had the chance to read everything first, aloud, and laugh himself silly after that.

The simplified version of the rules said:

BEST-CONDITION-EVER PARTY RULES  
>1. Hugs.<br>2. HUGS!  
>3. No hiding!<br>4. Games!

Arakita's voice easily carried above the noise. "OI! PAY ATTENTION HERE!"

Shinkai's voice filled the momentous silence caused by Arakita's facial expression.

"The rules are simple, really. Since this party is in honor of our best rivals, and Toudou's in particular, make sure to show your appreciation!"

Cheering erupted from the Hakogaku team and most of Sohoku easily joined in on that.

Shinkai had positioned himself behind Toudou and Makishima at that point, and had a hand on Makishima's shoulder.

Makishima's mouth was hanging open, he was slightly shaking in nervous anticipation of unspeakable things to come, and he was staring at Toudou in disbelief.

Toudou couldn't take more of it, at that point, and just launched himself at his rival with a cautionary yell of "Maki-chan!". In the process of wrapping his hands forcefully around the other climber, he knocked Makishima backwards and into Shinkai. Makishima tried his best to resist, but Toudou was clinging, his grip was really strong, he had buried his face in Makishima's collarbone, and Makishima felt both of their faces were turning fast bright red.

Shinkai thought Makishima had too much hair and a lot of it was currently on Shinkai's chest. It was soft, distracting, and it smelled of touch-me-now. Shinkai eyed Toudou pensively; their older climber's future was certainly looking exciting, with all that kink potential at his fingertips.

Most of the rest of the two teams was catcalling, at that point.

Arakita was opening a bottle of something on top of yelling his lungs out ("KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISS!"), and was pouring mostly clear liquid in small sake cups.

Tadokoro shoved a mug in front of Arakita and Arakita nodded in approval before noticing the bottle in his hands was already empty.

Naruko had had two small cups and was a ball of energy. He was trying to not so subtly spike Imaizumi's tea.

Onoda was blushing and feeling slightly awkward, because Makishima-san looked so different from usual in Toudou-san's arms.

Fukutomi had buried his face in his hands and was refusing to look at Kinjou. Kinjou grinned, as he wrapped a hand around Fukutomi, causing the other one to jump and look very unmanly for a moment.

Izumida quietly snapped a picture of the KinFuku moment, mostly by mistake. His goal was Shinkai's chest and face.

Imaizumi got a picture of a flailing Makishima, a Shinkai who was surely thinking of something naughty, and a way too embarrassed Toudou who was still hiding his face in Makishima's neck.

After a tap on his arm, Imaizumi lowered the camera to look at a smiling and blushing Onoda.

"Imaizumi-kun! It's like something out of a manga, don't you think? Ahahah...!"

Imaizumi agreed, then choked on his tea, with Naruko's laughter in the background.

Lunch ended on a light note, with a shot of something clearly not very healthy forced down everyone's throat by a boisterous Arakita.

As the two third-year climbers slowly relaxed under the influence, Toudou naturally cuddled Makishima and would not let anyone else take his place. Makishima's hair covered most of his blush, but at least he was not trying to push Toudou away anymore at that point.

Shinkai flashed a thumb-up at Arakita, then got his hands on Makishima's hair despite a hiss from Toudou.

"No hiding, right!" A purple hair tie managed to restrain most of Makishima's locks on the back of his head.

Makishima's face was hot and his eyes were downcast. He was trying to hide his face any possible way he could, but the only option seemed to be Toudou's shoulder and that was *embarrassing*. "Toudou, you idiot..."

Toudou was blushing fiercely in response, and trying to shelter with his body Maki-chan's everything from the rest of the group. "Relax, Maki-chan...!"

Shinkai straightened up and yelled, "OK, OK, we are off to a good start, everyone! Now, let's try to follow the rules throughout the party! Remember not to shy away from other's affection, hahaha~"

At that point Naruko tackled Onoda. Muffled protests served as background noise.

Arakita growled. "Oh, for FUCK's sake, Makishima, you have to HUG BACK! Let's do A FUCKING GROUP HUG then, COME ON!"

Then Arakita got Onoda out of Naruko's clutches and pushed him towards the two climbers. Onoda landed, arms outstretched, on Makishima, and just blinked in surprise.

Manami was pushed in that general direction next, and Manami's hands easily wrapped around the two closest bodies, Onoda and Toudou.

Toudou was beginning to perk up and grin. Everyone was trying it out, too! Toudou and Makishima were not the only ones being all embarrassed anymore!

Arakita continued to shove cyclists on top of one another, often by force, and soon everyone was sharing a "FUCKING HUG".

Fukutomi looked slightly constipated.

Tadokoro was laughing and patting Makishima and Kinjou on the backs.

Izumida and Imaizumi were pointedly not looking at each other, as Naruko hugged them both.

Shinkai was taking some very good pictures.

Arakita sauntered over to the Party Facilitator, put his arms around Shinkai's waist, and lifted him up to try to hurl him into the group of cyclists.

"YASUTOMO, NOOooo!"

Kinjou snapped the best shot: a flying Shinkai, a camera saved at the last moment by Onoda, and an Arakita that didn't let go on time and landed with his face buried in Shinkai's buns.

The party was going great, and it was just the afternoon of the first day!


End file.
